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DS is the one keeping the stocking tradition going at our house. He insists on it every year! But, we all (even DDD - dear disabled daughter) contribute to everyone's stockings which makes it fun. You hear the pitter-patter of feet late at night when someone is sneaking in to play Santa. You never know what funny little gifts you'll find.

I hope we can do something similar if/when GC arrive - everyone popping little presents in the kids stockings, too.

As a young mom many years ago it wouldn't have bothered me one bit to have the help of a loving GP or other family member. I didn't have a need to be "first & only" with a cake, stocking, special outing, special outfit or whatever. I figured the more love the merrier, and that there would be enough special cakes, stockings, outfits and outings to go around. I understand some P's desire to be the "one and only" but it just wasn't my style.

Respect ... is appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the ways in which he or she is unique. -- Annie Gottlieb

HI, I know this is after the fact but might work for next year. We also do the stocking tradition and as the kids got older, we also ran into the do we or don't we. What I have done for the last few years, is to pick up a bunch of little gifts that are wrapped and which I put into a basket. I am usually the first up so just in case someone's stocking doesn't get filled or is a little short, I sneak a few of these generic gifts in there. The kids all think Santa just dropped a few secret gifts off and it prevents anyone from being short.

Here's how it played out. I decided to just tell her the truth. A couple of days before Christmas, I simply told her what I had done and followed that with, "I didn't even think about it until I was wrapping stuff, and then it hit me that you probably wanted to do GS's and YS's stocking. So I hid all the stuff I had bought to put under the tree instead in case you wanted to do theirs."

She just laughed and said, "I wasn't going to do theirs here. I know you do them so I bought stuff for ours when we get home from Santa. The only thing I ask is that you don't have stuff here from Santa because I want him to grow up thinking Santa visits at home."

So it ended up being a good thing that I had bought the stuff! And no, I didn't have anything from Santa. To me, that is the parents job! Lol....I did my years.

We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. -Joseph Campbell

I'm late to the party, but I do give stocking stuffers and never really say who they're from Stockings are hung, but the gifts are in gift bags. When we have our big family (husband's side) I do little stockings for all the kids (mostly older boys now) with a little piece of money in it and my GC's are included. These are gifts "Santa" left at our house for each of them. No bigger from the parent's at all. My 3 year old GD was so excited to have "real" money in her stocking. My GS who is 10 was ho hum about it.